Thanksgiving Instant Pot Asian Sticky Rice Stuffing

This Instant Pot Asian sticky rice stuffing is perfect for those who are adventurous. It’s truly savory good and easy to make. The sticky rice stuffing is topped with crispy panko breadcrumbs topping too! Be ready to hand out the recipe this Thanksgiving 😉

Thanksgiving Instant Pot Asian Sticky Rice Stuffing

CHINESE STICKY RICE (GLUTINOUS RICE)

Chinese sticky rice dish is absolutely one of our family’s favorite. Mom likes to cook it for special occasions. The inspiration of this Asian sticky rice stuffing for Thanksgiving comes from this pressure cooker Lo Mai Gai. This dish is a favorite by many Asians. The Chinese like to prepare this type of sticky rice dish with Chinese sausage. The Chinese sausage is more at the sweet side. Some people like them some don’t. We love them.

WHY YOU WILL LIKE THIS ASIAN STICKY RICE STUFFING RECIPE

1. EASY YET ROBUST IN FLAVOR
I tried to “simplify” this recipe as I considered it more as Asian fusion instead of traditional/authentic lo mai gai. The idea is not to overwhelm people who like to try something different this Thanksgiving like this sticky rice stuffing. The taste is still amazing and the kids love it. The rice is perfectly sticky and soft and that contrast of texture from the crispy buttery garlicky panko bread crumbs just seal the deal!!2. PRESSURE COOKER SIMPLIFY THINGS
Traditionally, the sticky rice is soaked for at least 4 hours and then steamed. Without soaking, the sticky rice takes a looonggg time to steam. I can skip the soaking and cook it in Instant pot using pressure cooker in 30 minutes! This recipe is truly no fuss.

INGREDIENTS

Let’s talk a bit about the ingredients, shall we? All these special ingredients I listed down here can be easily found in your local Asian grocery stores.

White sticky rice (glutinous rice)
Don’t be mistaken with sushi rice, which is also sticky, but not as sticky as this Chinese sticky rice. This can be found in some major grocery store that carries ethnic food. Your local Asian grocery store will surely have this.Oyster sauceOyster sauce adds lots of flavor to this dish and it’s available at Asian grocery store. I saw it in my local non-Asian grocery store, at the ethnic food aisle too. Oyster sauce can be substituted with soy sauce, though not exactly the same as oyster sauce is more concentrated and has oyster extracts in it.Dried shiitake mushrooms
If you don’t want to use shiitake mushrooms, you can use regular fresh mushrooms of your choice. They tend to ooze out liquid when cooked, so I would suggest to cut down liquid by about 1/8 of a cup so the rice won’t come out too mushy.

HOW TO MAKE ASIAN STICKY RICE STUFFING IN 4 SIMPLE STEPS

STEP ONE: PREPARE THE STICKY RICE
Rinse the rice in several changes of water and then drain off water completelySTEP TWO: STIR-FRY
Stir-frying the garlic, shiitake mushrooms, and chicken first instead of just dump everything in the pot and cook, really amplify the flavor a lot. So I would highly recommend doing this. Then add the rice and seasonings and stir to mix.

STEP THREE: PRESSURE COOK IN INSTANT POT
Transfer the rice and everything into a heat-proof bowl
Add the liquid from soaking the mushrooms to the bowl
Make sure the liquid covers the rice.
Set the timer to 30 minutes
Wait for 5 minutes before releasing the pressure

STEP FOUR: MAKE PANKO BREADCRUMBS TOPPING
I used ghee, but you can use butter. Melt the ghee and then add breadcrumbs, garlic powder (optional) and salt and stir fry until golden brown. Have a taste and add more salt to your taste.

CUSTOMIZE YOUR STICKY RICE STUFFING

1. Add vegetables
You can add cut celery, corn kernels, dried cranberries to the recipe. Stir fry the celery and corn with the garlic and then add dried cranberries before pressure cooking2. Meatless
You can skip the chicken or Chinese sausage. I would add more garlic and add Chinese five-spice powder for more flavor

Thanksgiving Instant Pot Asian Sticky Rice Stuffing

This Instant Pot Asian sticky rice stuffing is perfect for those who are adventurous. It's truly savory good, easy to make. The sticky rice stuffing is topped with crispy panko breadcrumbs topping too! Be ready to hand out the recipe this Thanksgiving 😉

Crispy panko Breadcrumbs toppings:

Optional topping:

Instructions

Wash the glutinous rice in several rinses of water. Drain off the water completely

Mix all the seasonings together in a bowl and set aside. Cut the chicken into small bite-size, about 1/2 inch pieces

Soak the mushrooms in 2 cups of hot water until soft and plump up, about 10 minutes. Remove the stems and thinly sliced. Reserve the soaking water to cook the rice later

Preheat a large skillet. Add cooking oil. Stir-fry garlic for about 30 seconds. Add the chicken and cook until they turn opaque (won't be fully cooked yet). Add sliced shiitake and stir fry for another minute

Add the rice and seasonings and stir to mix. Transfer to a heat-proof bowl that will fit in your 6-quart instant pot. Pour in 2 cups of liquid. Use a spoon to stir and to make sure the rice is submerged under the liquid

Continue cooking with Instant Pot:

Pour 1 cup of water into the inner pot of Instant pot. Place the trivet in there. Set your bowl on top of the trivet

Close the lid. Turn the steam release valve to seal. Press pressure cooker and then high pressure. Set timer to 30 minutes

When the timer is up, wait for 5 minutes and then release all the pressure. Carefully unlock the lid and remove the bowl

Prepare panko breadcrumbs topping:

While the sticky rice is cooking, melt butter on a non-stick skillet. Add panko breadcrumbs, garlic powder (if using) and pinch of salt (to your taste) and stir fry over medium heat until the breadcrumbs turn golden brown, about 5 minutes. Have a taste and add more salt if needed. Set aside

Serving:

Transfer the cooked sticky rice to a serving platter. Topped with some chopped green onion (if using) and then sprinkle with the panko breadcrumbs toppings and crispy fried shallos (if using).Absolutely delish!!!